YY - JOYY Reports Third Quarter 2020 Unaudited Financial Results

GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JOYY Inc. (NASDAQ: YY) (“JOYY” or the “Company”, formerly known as YY Inc.), a global video-based social media platform, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter of 2020.

Third Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights ¹

• Net revenues increased by 36.1% to RMB6,286.4 million (US$925.9 million) from RMB4,617.3 million in the corresponding period of 2019.
• Net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest of JOYY Inc. ² was RMB2,303.2 million (US$339.2 million), compared to RMB61.8 million in the corresponding period of 2019, primarily due to the impact of gain from partial disposal of investments in Huya.
• Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest and common shareholders of JOYY Inc. ³ increased by 64.0% to RMB809.4 million (US$119.2 million) from RMB493.4 million in the corresponding period of 2019, primarily due to the decrease in the operation loss of Bigo Inc (“Bigo”).

Third Quarter 2020 Operational Highlights

• Global average mobile MAUs ⁴ decreased by 4.0% to 390.1 million from 406.3 million in the corresponding period of 2019, mainly due to the impact of Indian government’s measures to block certain Chinese-owned apps in its local market, which included Bigo Live, Likee and Hago.
• Average mobile MAUs of Likee increased by 3.8% to 104.0 million from 100.2 million in the corresponding period of 2019.
• Average mobile MAUs of global live streaming services decreased by 2.3% to 92.0 million from 94.1 million in the corresponding period of 2019, among that (i) 41.3 million were from YY, which increased by 3.4% year over year; and (ii) 50.7 million were from outside of China, which decreased by 6.5% year over year, including 28.0 million from Bigo Live, which increased by 27.7% year over year, and 22.7 million from HAGO, which decreased by 29.7% year over year primarily due to the impact of Indian government’s measures to block such app in its local market.
• Total number of paying users ⁵ of YY decreased by 4.7% to 4.1 million from 4.3 million in the corresponding period of 2019, mainly due to COVID-19 impacts.

Mr. David Xueling Li, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JOYY, commented, “Despite uncertainties from macro perspective, we remained focused on executing our dual-engine growth strategy in the third quarter of 2020. Through a combination of globalized market reach and localized operations management, we continued to achieve solid growth in our financial results. Despite the negative impact from Indian government’s measures to block certain Chinese-owned apps in its local market and other geopolitical risks, our global MAU remained relatively stable, thanks to rapid expansion of our business in other regions. During the quarter, Bigo Live maintained its robust growth trajectory and further diversified its geographic coverage, accomplishing 270% and 231% revenue growth in Europe and East Pacific regions, respectively. Likee continued to gain momentum through a measured approach of balancing its user expansion and user retention, with continuous improvement in user engagement level by introducing multiple functions of its video production tools, dynamic community and thematic functionalities, as reflected by increase in content creator engagement.”

Mr. Li continued, “We believe Baidu’s strategic acquisition of YY Live is a true win-win for both parties, as it will accelerate YY Live’s business growth and unlock more value across the domestic entertainment live streaming sector. Going forward, we will continue to expand our live streaming and short-form video content ecosystem in key overseas markets around the world, and explore new business lines, aiming to further enter into the industrial AI internet sector.”

Mr. Bing Jin, Chief Financial Officer of JOYY, further commented, “Despite the impact of geopolitical headwinds, we grew our total revenues by 36.1% year over year to RMB6,286.4 million during the third quarter of 2020 and exceeded the high end of our previous guidance. More specifically, revenues from Bigo grew by 120.8% year over year to RMB3,394.8 million, mostly driven by the uptick in its live streaming revenues. It is also the first quarter for Bigo to achieve a positive non-GAAP operating margin. As we remain in an abundant cash position after recent transaction with Baidu, we will continue to invest in business development efforts to further expand our global market reach, and cultivate new business to enhance our service offerings. We will also actively explore other ways to return value to our shareholders to maximize shareholder value.”

Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results

NET REVENUES
Net revenues increased by 36.1% to RMB6,286.4 million (US$925.9 million) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB4,617.3 million in the corresponding period of 2019, primarily driven by continued growth in user base and expansion of global footprint in Bigo .

Live streaming revenues increased by 40.1% to RMB6,049.1 million (US$890.9 million) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB4,317.8 million in the corresponding period of 2019, primarily attributable to the continued live streaming revenues growth in Bigo segment.

Other revenues decreased by 20.8% to RMB237.3 million (US$34.9 million) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB299.4 million in the corresponding period of 2019, primarily due to the decrease in other revenues in YY segment.

COST OF REVENUES AND GROSS PROFIT
Cost of revenues increased by 38.8% to RMB3,961.7 million (US$583.5 million) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB2,854.5 million in the corresponding period of 2019. Revenue-sharing fees and content costs increased to RMB2,840.3 million (US$418.3 million) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB1,951.0 million in the corresponding period of 2019 as a result of the increase in live streaming revenues of the Company. Bandwidth costs decreased to RMB236.9 million (US$34.9 million) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB286.3 million in the corresponding period of 2019, primarily related to the termination of service and access to users in India after its measures to block certain Chinese-owned apps in late June.

Gross profit increased by 31.9% to RMB2,324.7 million (US$342.4 million) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB1,762.7 million in the corresponding period of 2019. Gross margin was 37.0% in the third quarter of 2020, compared to 38.2% in the corresponding period of 2019. The gross margin contraction was primarily caused by the fact that Bigo segment had lower gross margin but contributed significantly greater portions of net revenues in the third quarter of 2020, compared to the corresponding period of 2019.

OPERATING INCOME
Operating expenses were RMB1,999.9 million (US$294.6 million) in the third quarter of 2020, compared to RMB1,807.9 million in the corresponding period of 2019. Among the operating expenses, sales and marketing expenses increased to RMB1,083.0 million (US$159.5 million) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB957.3 million in the corresponding period of 2019, primarily due to the Company’s increased efforts in sales and marketing activities in overseas markets. Research and development expenses increased to RMB636.0 million (US$93.7 million) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB538.1 million in the corresponding period of 2019, mostly due to the increasing headcount and investments in talent recruitment as part of the Company’s efforts to enhance its research and development capabilities. General and administrative expenses were RMB280.8 million (US$41.4 million) in the third quarter of 2020, compared to RMB312.5 million in the corresponding period of 2019. The decrease of general and administrative expenses was mainly attributable to a decrease in provision for loss allowances of receivables.

Operating income was RMB466.6 million (US$68.7 million) in the third quarter of 2020, compared to RMB96.4 million in the corresponding period of 2019. Operating margin was 7.4% in the third quarter of 2020, compared to 2.1% in the corresponding period of 2019, primarily due to the decrease in operation loss of Bigo segment.

Non-GAAP operating income ⁶ increased by 77.8% to RMB825.8 million (US$121.6 million) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB464.4 million in the corresponding period of 2019. Non-GAAP operating margin ⁷ was 13.1% in the third quarter of 2020, compared to 10.1% in the corresponding period of 2019.

NET INCOME
Net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest of JOYY Inc. was RMB2,303.2 million (US$339.2 million) in the third quarter of 2020, compared to RMB61.8 million in the corresponding period of 2019. Net margin was 36.6% in the third quarter of 2020, compared to 1.3% in the corresponding period of 2019, mainly due to the gain from partial disposal of investments in Huya.

Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest and common shareholders of JOYY Inc. increase by 64.0% to RMB809.4 million (US$119.2 million) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB493.4 million in the corresponding period of 2019. Non-GAAP net margin ⁸ increased to 12.9% in the third quarter of 2020 from 10.7% in the corresponding period of 2019.

NET INCOME PER ADS
Diluted net income from continuing operations per ADS ⁹ was RMB25.92 (US$3.82) in the third quarter of 2020, compared to RMB 0.56 in the corresponding period of 2019.

Non-GAAP diluted net income from continuing operations per ADS ¹⁰ increased by 58.8% to RMB8.89 (US$1.31) in the third quarter of 2020 from RMB5.60 in the corresponding period of 2019.

BALANCE SHEET AND CASH FLOWS
As of September 30, 2020, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents, short-term deposits, restricted short-term deposits and short-term investments of RMB24,469.7 million (US$3,604.0 million). For the third quarter of 2020, net cash from operating activities was RMB1,029.9 million (US$151.7 million).

SHARES OUTSTANDING
As of September 30, 2020, the Company had a total of 1,619.7 million common shares, or the equivalent of 81.0 million ADSs, outstanding.

Quarterly Dividend
On August 11, 2020, the Company's board of directors approved a quarterly dividend policy for the next three years commencing in the third quarter of 2020. Under the policy, quarterly dividends will be set at approximately US$25.0 million in each fiscal quarter. The board of directors has accordingly declared a dividend of US$0.31 per ADS, or US$0.0155 per common share, for the third quarter of 2020, which is expected to be paid on December 23, 2020 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 11, 2020. The ex-dividend date will be December 10, 2020. Under the policy, the board of directors of the Company reserves the discretion relating to the determination to make dividend distributions and the amount of such distributions in any particular quarter, depending on the Company’s operations and earnings, cash flow, financial condition and other relevant factors.

Recent Developments
On November 16, 2020, the Company entered into definitive agreements with Baidu, Inc. (“Baidu”). Pursuant to the agreements, Baidu will acquire JOYY’s domestic video-based entertainment live streaming business (“YY Live”), which includes YY mobile app, YY.com website and PC YY, among others, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately US$3.6 billion in cash, subject to certain adjustments. The closing of the transaction is subject to certain conditions and is currently expected to occur in the first half of 2021.

Conference Call Information
The Company will hold a conference call on 9:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time on Monday, November 16, 2020 (10:00 AM Beijing/Hong Kong Time on Tuesday, November 17, 2020). Details for the conference call are as follows:

Event Title: JOYY’s Third Quarter 2020 Earnings Conference Call
Conference ID: #8576720

All participants must use the link provided below to complete the online registration process in advance of the conference call. Upon registering, each participant will receive a set of participant dial-in numbers, the Direct Event passcode, and a unique registrant ID by email.
PRE-REGISTER LINK:
http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/8576720

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.yy.com/ .

The replay will be accessible through November 24, 2020 by dialing the following numbers:

United States:   +1-646-254-3697
International:    +61-2-8199-0299
Conference ID: #8576720

Exchange Rate
This press release contains translations of certain Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of readers. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars, in this press release, were made at a rate of RMB6.7896 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on September 30, 2020 in the City of New York for cable transfers in Renminbi per U.S. dollar as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

About JOYY Inc.
JOYY Inc. is a global social media platform. The Company’s highly engaged users contribute to a vibrant social community by creating, sharing, and enjoying a vast range of entertainment content and activities. JOYY enables users to interact with each other in real time through online live media and offers users a uniquely engaging and immersive entertainment experience. JOYY owns Bigo, a fast-growing global tech company headquartered in Singapore. Bigo owns several popular video based social platforms including Bigo Live, a leading global live streaming platform outside China; Likee, a leading global short-form video social platform; and video communication service and others. JOYY has created an online community for global video and live streaming users. JOYY Inc. was listed on the NASDAQ in November 2012.

Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, the business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as JOYY’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. JOYY may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to fourth parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about JOYY’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: JOYY’s goals and strategies; JOYY’s future business development, results of operations and financial condition; the expected growth of the online communication social platform market in China; the expectation regarding the rate at which to gain active users, especially paying users; JOYY’s ability to monetize the user base; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China; the impact of the COVID-19 to JOYY’s business operations and the economy in China and elsewhere generally; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in JOYY’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and JOYY does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The unaudited condensed consolidated financial information is prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). JOYY uses non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest of JOYY Inc., non-GAAP net margin attributable to controlling interest of JOYY Inc., non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders of JOYY Inc., and basic and diluted non-GAAP net income per ADS, which are non-GAAP financial measures. Non-GAAP operating income is operating income excluding share-based compensation expenses, impairment of goodwill and investments, amortization of intangible assets from business acquisitions, and gain on disposal of subsidiaries and business. Non-GAAP operating margin is non-GAAP operating income as a percentage of net revenues. Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations is net income from continuing operations excluding share-based compensation expenses, impairment of goodwill and investments, amortization of intangible assets from business acquisitions, gain on disposal of subsidiaries and business, (loss) gain on disposal and deemed disposal of investments, gain (loss) on fair value change of investments, reconciling items on the share of equity method investments, fair value change on derivatives, interest expenses related to the convertible bonds’ amortization to face value, and income tax effects of above non-GAAP reconciling items. Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest of JOYY Inc. is net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest of JOYY Inc. excluding share-based compensation expenses, impairment of goodwill and investments, amortization of intangible assets from business acquisitions, (loss) gain on disposal and deemed disposal of subsidiaries and business, gain on disposal of investments, gain (loss) on fair value change of investments, reconciling items on the share of equity method investments, fair value change on derivatives, interest expenses related to the convertible bonds’ amortization to face value, income tax effects of above non-GAAP reconciling items and adjustments for non-GAAP reconciling items for the net (loss) income from continuing operations attributable to non-controlling interest shareholders. Non-GAAP net margin is non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest of JOYY Inc. as a percentage of net revenues. Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders of JOYY Inc. is net income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders of JOYY Inc. excluding share-based compensation expenses, impairment of goodwill and investments, amortization of intangible assets from business acquisitions, (loss) gain on disposal and deemed disposal of subsidiaries and business, gain on disposal of investments, gain (loss) on fair value change of investments, reconciling items on the share of equity method investments, fair value change on derivatives, interest expenses related to the convertible bonds’ amortization to face value, accretion, cumulative dividend and deemed dividend to subsidiaries’ preferred shareholders and income tax effects of above non-GAAP reconciling items and adjustments for non-GAAP reconciling items for the net (loss) income from continuing operations attributable to non-controlling interest shareholders. After the non-GAAP reconciliation, non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interests of JOYY Inc. is equal to the non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders of JOYY Inc. Basic and diluted non-GAAP net income from continuing operations per ADS is non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders of JOYY Inc. divided by weighted average number of ADS used in the calculation of basic and diluted net income per ADS. The Company believes that separate analysis and exclusion of the non-cash impact of above reconciling items adds clarity to the constituent parts of its performance. The Company reviews these non-GAAP financial measures together with GAAP financial measures to obtain a better understanding of its operating performance. It uses the non-GAAP financial measure for planning, forecasting and measuring results against the forecast. The Company believes that non-GAAP financial measure is useful supplemental information for investors and analysts to assess its operating performance without the non-cash effect of (i) share-based compensation expenses and amortization of intangible assets from business acquisitions, fair value change on derivatives, interest expenses related to the convertible bonds’ amortization to face value, which have been and will continue to be significant recurring expenses in its business, (ii) impairment of goodwill and investments, gain on disposal of subsidiaries and business, (loss) gain on disposal and deemed disposal of investments, gain (loss) on fair value change of investments, reconciling items on the share of equity method investments, and accretion, cumulative dividend and deemed dividend to subsidiaries’ preferred shareholders, which may not be recurring in its business, and (iii) income tax expenses and non-GAAP adjustments for net (loss) income from continuing operations attributable to non-controlling interest shareholders, which are affected by above non-GAAP reconciling items. However, the use of non-GAAP financial measures has material limitations as an analytical tool. One of the limitations of using non-GAAP financial measures is that they do not include all items that impact the Company’s net income for the period. In addition, because non-GAAP financial measures are not measured in the same manner by all companies, they may not be comparable to other similar titled measures used by other companies. In light of the foregoing limitations, you should not consider non-GAAP financial measure in isolation from or as an alternative to the financial measure prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned “JOYY Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” near the end of this release.

Investor Relations Contact
JOYY Inc.
Jane Xie/Maggie Yan
Tel: +86 (20) 8212-0000
Email: IR@YY.com

ICR, Inc.
Jack Wang
Tel: +1 (646) 915-1611
Email: IR@YY.com

¹ Starting from the second quarter of 2020, the Company deconsolidated HUYA Inc. (“Huya”) and Huya’s historical financial results are and will be reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements as discontinued operations accordingly. The financial information and non-GAAP financial information of the Company disclosed in this press release is presented on a continuing operations basis, unless otherwise specifically stated. After the deconsolidation of Huya, the Company accounts for its investment in Huya as an equity method investment and applies the equity method accounting one quarter in arrears. Share of income or loss from the investment in Huya will be included in net income or loss from continuing operations.

² Net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest of JOYY Inc., is net income from continuing operations less net (loss) income from continuing operations attributable to the non-controlling interest shareholders and the mezzanine equity classified as non-controlling interest shareholders.

³ Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest of JOYY Inc. is a non-GAAP financial measure, which is defined as net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest of JOYY Inc. excluding share-based compensation expenses, impairment of goodwill and investment, amortization of intangible assets from business acquisitions, gain on disposal of subsidiaries and business, gain on disposal of investments, gain (loss) on fair value change of investments, reconciling items on the share of equity method investments which refer to those similar non-GAAP reconciling items of the Company, fair value change on derivatives, interest expenses related to the convertible bonds amortization to face value, income tax effects on non-GAAP adjustments and non-GAAP adjustments for net (loss) income attributable to non-controlling interest shareholders. These adjustments amounted to reversal of RMB1,493.8 million (US$220.0 million) and RMB431.7 million in the third quarter of 2020 and 2019, respectively. Please refer to the section titled “Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” for more details.

⁴ Refers to mobile average monthly active users. Average mobile MAU for any period is calculated by dividing (i) the sum of the Company’s mobile active users for each month of such period, by (ii) the number of months in such period.

⁵ Refers to a registered user that has purchased virtual items on YY’s platforms at least once during the period presented.

⁶ Non-GAAP operating income is a non-GAAP financial measure, which is defined as operating income excluding share-based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets from business acquisitions, impairment of goodwill and investments and gain on disposal of subsidiaries and business. Please refer to the section titled “Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” for details.

⁷ Non-GAAP operating margin is a non-GAAP financial measure, which is defined as non-GAAP operating income as a percentage of net revenues. Please refer to the section titled “Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” for details.

⁸ Non-GAAP net margin is non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest of JOYY Inc. as a percentage of net revenues.

⁹ ADS is American Depositary Share. Each ADS represents twenty Class A common shares of the Company. Diluted net income per ADS is net income attributable to common shareholders of JOYY Inc. divided by weighted average number of diluted ADS.

¹⁰ Non-GAAP diluted net income from continuing operations per ADS is a non-GAAP financial measure, which is defined as non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders of JOYY Inc. divided by weighted average number of ADS used in the calculation of diluted net income per ADS. Please refer to the section titled “Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” for details.

JOYY INC.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS and per ADS data)

JOYY INC.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (CONTINUED)
(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS and per ADS data)

JOYY INC.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS and per ADS data)

JOYY INC.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (CONTINUED)
(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS and per ADS data)

JOYY INC.
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS
(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS and per ADS data)

JOYY INC.
UNAUDITED SEGMENT REPORT
(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS and per ADS data)